Q:
My name is Martha, I am a dialysis patient who should be taking to drink a maximum of 1 liter / day. For me is very difficult to control this, because if I find it hard to stop drinking. Are there any suggestions to overcome this? Thank you. (Martha.Budiman, 61, via e-mail)

A:
Martha's beloved mother,
Water is a major component in the human body that serves to regulate body temperature, remove toxins, carrying nutrients into the cells, retain moisture, and so forth. However, in patients with chronic kidney disease, excess intake of fluids will cause swelling in the body, due to the inability of the kidneys secrete fluid. Therefore do hemodialysis (dialysis) and restriction of fluid intake. Thirst is indeed a problem that is common in hemodialysis patients with fluid restrictions. But there are several ways you can do to help Mother Martha reduce thirst:

* Avoid foods with salty and spicy flavors. Perform restriction of salt intake in daily food (usually about 3 grams / day). Salty and spicy flavors will increase thirst.
* Get used to read the label content of nutrients in the food they buy in order to know how the salt content in foods, such as the soy sauce, sausage, and others.
* Eat fruits and vegetables according to the amount already determined by the doctor in planning the daily diet, because in hemodialysis patients with high levels of potassium, vegetables and fruits should also be limited and processed in a certain way.
* Perform the planning and distribution of liquid to be consumed in a day, for example, if the limited 1000 ml / day can be divided into six time drinking with the division: a breakfast of approximately 150 ml, 100 ml morning snack, lunch, 250 ml, 100 ml afternoon snack, dinner 150 ml, 100 ml and evening snack. The remaining approximately 150 ml obtained from food, whether it be vegetables, fruits, soups, snacks, and so forth.
* Drink fluids that have cooled or been put ice in order to help create a sense of cool in the mouth. But the amount of ice should still be taken into account is entered as the amount of fluid consumed.
* When taking medicine to use less water. Drug should be taken after meals, so the amount of fluid that has been planned at the time of eating is also quite used to taking medicine.
* Use a small glass when drinking.
* Ask your treating physician, whether the drugs are administered will cause side effects such as dryness of the mouth.
* To relieve dry mouth, brush teeth, gargle-rinse (using cold water bottle that has been mixed with mint leaves and a spray given, where the amount of liquid used be taken into account in the amount of fluid consumed), sucking candy with flavor lemon (lemon can stimulate salivation which helps overcome the dryness of the mouth).
* Try to always be in a pretty cool place, do not linger in a place that was hot.
* Exchanging experiences with other patients in order to get any other way how to overcome the feeling of thirst, mutual support and help improve self-discipline when thirst arises.
* Note that some foods should still be taken into account in the amount of fluid consumed (basically all the food that forms a liquid at room temperature) such as: coffee, tea, gelatins, ice cubes, ice cream, juice, soda, milk, sorbet, soup, vegetables and fruit, with plenty of water content (such as watermelon, cantaloupe, squash, tomatoes, pears, apples, carrots, pineapple, cucumber, etc.).
* Examples of vegetables and fruits that can be ignored as the water content: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cherries, blueberries, plums, eggplant, lettuce, celery, and so forth.

Mrs. Martha Good luck, good luck to overcome thirst natural mother, and keep the spirit as well as healthy undergoing hemodialysis.